THERE IS NO HOPE

We liberals keep hoping for the miracle that will not happen.   First of all miracles are not real: You can not turn a pumpkin into a coach; you can not turn a frog into a prince and you can not twang your magic twanger and turn water into wine.  

We live in a world of hard physical laws that we refer to as science, and yet we keep expecting the impossible. 

Probably fifty percent of the people living on this earth are bone ignorant and at least thirty percent are bat-shit religious crazies, and that number is not going to change – if anything it is increasing.     At one time the really ignorant people were kept hidden by their families, but now they run for public office. 

In my last post ELECTION 2013, John Oliver highlighted Australians running for public office and made the comparison with our 2012 candidates on the Republican ticket. 

One woman running for office stated that Islam was a country and their people were followers of Huran law; and under Huran law Jews had their own religion that worshiped Jesus Christ.

You can’t make this up…the woman is obviously a moron, and she doesn't hold the patent on that condition.

Here in America we have no room to mock the Australians since we had an entire Republican candidateship that proudly proclaimed disbelief if Darwinism and global warming.   For the most part they are flat earth people that believe the world is six thousand years old. 

  These are supposed to be our elite – our top choice of people to run our country.  And even scarier: they are smarter than the people who vote for them. 

I sincerely believe that if it were possible to pole everyone in the United States at least half would be unable to answer basic questions of history, science, math and politics.   Uninformed these people are prone to believe outlandish propositions and are easily influenced and manipulated by political factions and religious leaders.   They have banded together under the Tea Party banner and are systematically taking over the government.   Truly, the inmates are now running the asylum.  

The human race has been on this earth for a minuscule period of time and we are proving to be our own worst enemy.  We probably will not inherit this earth for long.   We have an over assessment of our own worth and our own place in nature.   

Perhaps we liberals all need to lower our expectations and not let politics, religion and stupid people upset our daily lives – because it is not going to change.

the Ol'Buzzard

ELECTION 2013

IT TURNS OUT THAT AUSTRALIA IS OUR TWIN SISTER NATION

Enjoy

the Ol'Buzzard

THE REPUBLICAN CLOWN CAR IS COMING BACK!

Within the last couple of days there has been talk that Donald Trump plans to throw his hair into the presidential race of 2016.  

It seem as though some of the same clowns from the Republican circus that aired in 2012 are returning.  

Personally, I look forward to the remake: Republican Convention II (Not to be confused with Scary Movie II – my favorite of the Scary Movie series.)

In your wildest imagination, if you were writing a fiction novel about a presidential election campaign, how could you come up with come up with a more bizarre and ludicrous group?

Unfortunately, some of my favorites may not show, and they will be fondly missed for the comic relief they provided.   

..

I thought that red button was the intercom.
Nuclear launch?    Oooops!

I still think that the National budget should be two pages long.

But don't feel too depressed.   There may be some new additions to add color to the spectacle.

the Ol'Buzzard

AN ATHEIST IN THE FOX HOLE

Can you imagine the mental anguish of being a Democratic, liberal, atheist news person working for Fox News and being assigned to the egocentric, bullying, tyrannical Bill O’Reilly news team?

If you can’t you need to read AN ATHEIST IN THE FOXHOLE by Joe Muto. 

the Ol'Buzzard

WE LIVE IN A NEW WORLD ORDER

Liberal radio and TV stations (the only ones I listen to) are constantly facing the conundrum of whether to support or condemn NSA wire tapping, and exactly where they stand on ‘whistle blowers.’ 

We no longer face the problem of a threat from hostile nations; but our real threat comes from small, scattered, religiously based groups abroad, wing-nut conspiracy groups or the lone nut-case within our own country. 

It seems logical that the department of our government sworn to protect and defend would want to gather as much information on these radical, potential terrorist as possible.   At one time this was done by planting imbeds in the suspected organizations; but today, in our new world of super communication networking we can more effectively monitor these groups from the outside. 

Today we can vacuum information from every type of communication system in the world and narrow our search through massive computer programs designed to key off on certain words, numbers or phrases. 

No longer do we launch our army and Navy to confront rogue nation; now we launch deadly accurate drones to strike individuals that pose a real threat to our country. 

The new world order demands we update our Constitution to be relevant to our new time and place.  Amendments like our Right to Bear Arms and our Right to Privacy need to be reviewed and updated to reflect the enormous changes and dangers of the 21st century.

Unfortunately, our Congress is not up to the task, so we are stuck with a document, which like the Bible, reflects the norms of a different time. 

Recently, the news media broke the story that al Qaeda leader al-Zawahri and the leader of the Yemen based wing of al Qaeda planned an attack, possibly on our US Embassies in the Arabian Peninsula.   This has resulted in embassies throughout the region closing, and a news media frenzy to cover the story; along with a renewed discussion on the legality of NSA ease dropping.  

The right of the Fourth Estate to release news is again, a right guaranteed in the Constitution. 

 

The American people have the right to know that there is a terror threat eminent in an area of the world and how our government is responding to that threat.   The problem is that when the media released how we found out about that threat, they inadvertently notified al Qaeda that the communication mode they were using was being monitored and no longer secure, which compromised NSA’s ability to collect further critical communication on that particular link.

It is a new world.  If we are to remain safe from nuclear suitcase bombs, suicide bombers, nut-case fringe groups, and religious fanatics we need to have the conversation about our realistic expectation of privacy and government overreach. 

"Good God, Ramon - I think you've nearly cracked it. "

Of course, none of this is possible with the Republican-Tea Party Congress that spends its time trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, with the single goal of nullifying President Obama’s legacy.   

Have a good day

the Ol’Buzzard

Detroit bankruptcy: an economic system that could not be sustained.  The loss of jobs has resulted in the loss of a tax base.  

Detroit is now basically a city of the unemployed.   There is no way the city can pay its way.

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If we let Detroit go bankrupt: then what?   What happens?  Crime is rampant and only going to get worse.   Does the city become a war zone?   Detroit is unsustainable so what do we do?   

Progressives, of whom I am one, have said that if the money spent in the Iraq war had been channeled to Detroit to build an industry base, then Detroit would be a model city today.  But the problem is that if the government starts taking over the control of all major cities in financial trouble, we become something other than a democracy; something similar to the post Russian revolution.

  

And, do we want this cabal running our cities? 

I'm just asking.

the Ol'Buzzard

VERN, VERN, VERN WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?

In the Native American communities elders are venerated.   They are looked up to as being wise because of their years.  

I have always disagreed with this premise; believing that if you were stupid when you were young and stupid when you were middle age you are probably a stupid old person.  

I am the absolute proof of the proposition.   You would think after seventy plus years I would have learned from my mistakes.  

During my lifetime I have sheered bolts in oil pans, engine heads, carburetors, mufflers, and plumbing fixtures, and just about everything that has threads.  

Last year I decided to set the valves in my motorcycle.   My wife suggested I take it to the dealership and have it done.  I informed her that I had set the valves and timing in bunches of bikes and I was not going to pay someone to do what I was capable of doing.  

The black one is mine.  My wife in the jean jacket talking to the secretary of United Bikers of Maine

The job turned out to be bigger than I thought: I had to remove the seats, the tank some of the wiring and vacuum hoses just to get access to the heads.   I soldiered on removing the heads from a space barely big enough to admit a wrench.  I set the valves and remounted the heads; but on my last head bolt I gave it just one more turn.  

Yeah – I sheered off the bolt in the jug.  I ended up renting a trailer and transporting the bike forty miles to a dealer where they were able to remove the bolt, reset the timing and put the bike back together.   It was a hundred dollar fiasco, not counting the rental of the trailer.

Today I decided to change the oil in the bike.  My wife suggested I take it down to the local bike shop and have it done.   But, I am not going to pay someone to do what I can do. 

The drain plug is located at a position that you have to lift the front end just to get a wrench on the bolt.  After cursing Honda engineers I got the front end elevated on some 8x8 lumber and was able to drain the oil and change the filter.  I gave the drain plug just one more snug turn and felt it give…fearing I may have stripped the threads in the oil pan I backed it off and snugged it just close, checking there were no oil leaks.  Needing to check the oil level in the rear differential (the bike is direct drive) I unscrewed the nut – the oil was fine – and I replaced the filler bolt.   Just one more twist to make sure it is tight… and then swore: Shit, Fire and Molasses – God Damn Flatheaded Bastard…

The new bolt is costing me $25.00 with the O-ring, plus $10.00 shipping.  

Provided there are no leaks this season; next year I will have the local bike shop change the oil and act surprised when they have to retap the threads on the oil pan. 

Meanwhile, I have found that the brake light switch on the foot brake is not working and needs replacing.   And I am not going to pay someone to do what I can easily do. 

the Ol’Buzzard